Sheet severing mechanism



March 21, 1933. i Q- R, wm 1,902,604

smear szvmum llcmmlsn Filed Jan. 22, 19 30, 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INV NTOR 02in mie' 7% BY I I 2;; ATTORNEY "o. R. WINTER SHEET SEVERING IEGHANISM.

March 21, 1933.

Filed Jan. 22 1 930 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR flfioZZ. Wilder %i$ ATTORNEYS March 21, 1933. I O R w ER SHEET SEYERING MECHANISM a Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 22, 1930 u IIIIAI-VIII INVENTOR flZZaJZ Mid-er fiATToRNEYs March 21, 1933. v Q R w N R 1,902, 04

SHEET sEvERING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 22, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 6.

Y 052 012 Willie? LSATTORNEYS paten'ted 21,1933

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcl-ione a. wmm or cmcmiurr, omo, ABSIGNOB 'ro m urson 001mm, or 1.00:-

POBT, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 01' NEW YORK snmr smnmo mnamu' Application filed nun-y as, 1930. Serial no.

My present invention relates to cutting or severing mechanism and particularly to machines of this character best adapted to the cutting of continuous moving strips of sheet material. It has for its ob ect to provide a simple, eflicient and durable mechanism that will act continuously and automatically. The improvements are directed in part to providing means, whereby the sheet or strip is automatically severed at intervals into uniform lengths; to improving and rendering more effective the actuating movements for the knives; to adjusting means for the knives and to timing mech anism whereby the feeding and severing elements are synchronized.

To these and other ends-,the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel I features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a sheet severing mechanism constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section of a sheet-like product consisting of a felted bat for operation upon which the particular machine illustrated has been designed to operate; 7

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the lmife units and their operating mechanism taken in section, horizontally, through the frame of the 36 machine; I

Fig. 4 is an end view of the same; Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figs. 3 and 4;

Fig. 6 is a similar but more fragmentary section showing the parts in the positions assumed after the cutting stroke;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section of the clutch operating mechanism;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section taken centrally through the knife operating clutch and the driven shaft thereof;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary section through the fixed knife and the ejector associated therewith;

Fig. 10 is another similar section of the of buildings but may be used for carpet same parts taken transversely at another ,point along the length of the cutter;

Fig. "11 is a plan view of the movable knife and its actuating connections alone;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmen 'sec- 66 tion showing the mechanism of the 0 amping bar that holds the sheet during the cutting movement; a i I Fig. 13 is an enlar ed fra entary side view of the bearin 0% one o the lmlfe actuating pitmen, an I Fig. 14 is a section on the line 14-14 of Fig. 13.-

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

As before intimated the particular machine that I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings has been designed to cut into uniform lengths from a continuously forming and moving strip of felt-like material, such as shown in Fig. 2. This material consistsof a bat usually running in thicknesses from a quarter mch to an inch or more and it is formed in the present instance of two outer paper liners 1 confining be-- tweenithem a core or center 2 of a flocculent or felted nature consisting of fibers or mixtures of fibers, such as cotton, cotton lint, jute, wood fibers, animal hair, grasses, etc. It is used primarily for insulating the walls lining and other purposes.

Such material is rather heavy, in fact very I heavy in large sheets, and in the practice of my invention, I therefore prefer, as shown, to feed, measure and cut it while it is in a hanging or depending position in a vertical plane. It is also well known in the cutting art that such thick but yielding mate rial is diflicult to sever rapidly and cleanly 9c in most instances, more difiicult than a relatively hard but firm material. These facts should be borne in mind in order to com- 1 pletely understand my invention and the utility thereof.

' Referring first to Figs. 1 and 5, 3 indicates 7 generally the main frame of the machine and 4 side plates bolted thereto that individually support the cutting unit per 'se. The bat, indicated generally at A, will be presumed for the purposes of this description to be issuing in the direction of the arrow from the bat making machine. It first passes over a feed roller 5 having a gear 6 thereon driven from the main driving gear 7 and then through creasing rolls 8 and 9, as part of a swatching operation that has nothing to do with the present invention, except that inthe resent instance the bat hangs vertically by ts own weight from these rolls, which,

therefore define the plane in which it is operated vupon by the cutters. The swatching rolls are geared together as shown and operated by the sprocket chain 10 from the feed roll shaft 5.

Transverse bridge pieces 11 and 12 extend between the side frame 4 and the bat A moving downwardly passes between them and through a throat or guide 13 formed by vertical plates associated therewith and supported on the main frame 3. These bridge pieces support the cutters or knives which com rise, in the present instance, a fixed kni e 14: on bridge piece 11 and a. movable knife 15 on bridge piece 12. The fixed knife 14 is held in a mounting bar 16. The movable knife is mounted in a similar mounting bar 17 and is confined betweenlower bridge piece 12 and a similar upper bridge iece 18, while its ends are further slidab e in slotted ides 19 in the side frames 4. 1nter ose between the lower bridge piece 12 an the movable knife and its mounting bar 17 at intervals (see also Fig. 3) are a pluralit of wedge locks consisting of lower I fixe elements 20 and upper elements 21 that may be adjusted with reference thereto by an adjusting bolt 22 in each instance to raise or lower the path of movement of the cutting edge of that knife with reference to the cutting edge of the fixed knife 14 at various This provision is particularly necessary because the knives are very long and the movable knife 16 is apt to sag. There is, of course, a runnin fit between-t e knife bar 17 and the upper ridge piece 18.

Turning now to Figs. 11, 13 and 14, I will next describe at this point a particular novel means for actuating the movable knife 15 and its mounting bar 17 in a peculiar manner to overcome the yielding resistance of the particular article or work piece described (though effective in all instances) and obtain a perfect shearing cut. Disks 23 on a driven shaft 24: to be later described (see also Fig. 8) are provided with spherical wrist pins 25-to which are connected pitmen or connecting rods 26 provided with spherical bearings 27 to receive'them. -There is exactly similar connection indicated at 28 1 between the other ends of the connecting rod and the ends ,of the movable knife mounting 17. The wrist pins 25 are not, however,

on the same axes but are offset circumferentially of the disks 23, so that although a.

nooaeoecomplete revolution of the latter eventually carries the moving knife 15 into cutting cooperation with the fixed knife 14 fromthe position in Fig. 5 to that of Fig. 6, the

blade 15 rocks in the plane of cutting movement from end to end during through the hat or sheet material and shears its passage it efiectively with a progressively shearing Fig. 5 to that of Fig. 6, in which it holds the severed section of bat tightly against the stationary knife 14 or its mounting 16. The

clamping bar returns to initial position when the cut is finished and allows the severed sheet section to drop into the swatcher,

also permitting the oncoming strip to proceedbetween the knives and into its guide. As shown in Fig. 12, it is thus retracted in the present instance by a spring 30. It is ositively actuated into clamping position y afpair of draw bars 31 each connected at one end to one end of the clamping bar and at the other to one end of a lever 32 (Figs. 5 and 6) pivoted at 33, the other end of which is connected pivotally by a link 34 with a bell crank 35 having a follower roller 36 riding on a cam 37 on shaft 24. As this same shaft drives the cutters, as hereinafter described, it will be clear that the necessary timed relationship is established between this clamping bar and the movable knife.

I As there is no force tending to displace I the clamping bar 29 upwardly this bar may rest by gravity upon the bridge piece 12 without any upper guide to hold it down. Extensions 43 (Fig. 3) are provided on the clamping bar to contact with the sides of certain of the wedges 20 and 21 to prevent cooking of the clamping bar and to hold it against longitudinal displacement.

It will be seen from a comparative inspec tion of Figs. 5 and 6 that after the loosely hanging bat A is clamped and sheared, the movable knife carries the unsevered portion thereof over so that its edge rests upon the the fixed knife 14 to recede before the cutting movementof the movable knife and to in Figs. 5 and .6 and more in detail in 9 and 10. It consists in the present advance to or beyond the cutting edge of the fixed knife when the movable kni e returns from its cutting stroke to the position of Fig. 5. In the present instance, it iso ratively spring actuated and is dis laced by the contact of the movable kni e 15, as

shown in Fig. 6. It. has the effect of realining the bat A with respect to the knives and its ide 13, so that it may again gravitate free y therethrough, while at the same time it performs the function vof cleaning and keeping clear the cutting edge of the fixed knife upon which the fine fibers have a tendency to adhere.

The ejector 38 is guided b bolts fixed therein and indicated at 39 ig. 1O) and sliding through a portion of the mountin bar 16 and also by extension plates 40 sli able under gibs 41 on the said bar. Adjusting nuts 42 on the bolts or rods 39 control the limit of operative movement of the ejec-.

tor bar 38. The forward edges of the plates 40 are inclined obliquely, as shown, and oblique sheet metal extensions 400 may be mounted-on the plates 40, as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, to assist in guiding the end of the bat into roper position in case it becomes displaced.

Having described the several actuators for the knives, the clamping means and the ejector, I will now describe their operating connections whereby the proper timed relationship between them in their movement'is effected. Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 4, and 7, this general unit or grou of units on the frame 4 is driven by an individual motor or similar source of power 44, having a driving pinion 45 which, through gears and pinions 46, 47, and 48, continuously turns a clutch element 49 on car 48 turning freely on shaft 24 (Fig. 8 which has bearings 50 in the frame pieces 4. Featln ered on the shaft 24 opposite the clutchele-p ment49 is a complementary clutch element 51 which is thus non-rotatably connected to the shaft 24 but is free to slide longitudinally thereon into and out of cooperation with clutch element 49. V

The above mentioned disks 23 carrying the wrist pins 25 for the knife actuators are fixed to the shaft 24, as'are the cams 37 for actuating the clamping bar 29. Cavities in one cam 37 house springs 52 which react against the end-of a bearing sleeve 53 on disk 23 and tend [to throw the movable clutch element 51 into engagement with element 49. This is normally prevented and the clutch is held out by a push pin 54 reciprocatable in an e xtension'55 of the frame and havingat its upper end a roller 56 that rides on a cam surface 57 on the movable clutch element 51', the high and low oints of this cam surface being shown in plained, the push 54is intermittently withdrawn from the position shown in Fig.

8 allowing the clutch to o in. It instantly I returns, however, and t e shaft 24 makes one revolution while the low point of the cam 57 is passing the pin. As soon as the high point of the cam reaches the pin, however, the movable clutch element is retracted and the position of Fig; 8 again assumed.

In the meantime, the knives or cutters and their accessories are actuated as hereinbefore described. I

I now come to an explanation of how this intermittent operation of the cutting group on frame 4 under its own power is synchro- I nized with the feeding of the bat'to give the desired len h to the severed sheet. As before descri d, the main driving gear 7 of the feeding mechanism turns the feed roll 5 upon which latter is a s rocket connected by a sprocket chain 58 wit a sprocket fixed to a gear 59 in a gear box 60a. The chain of gearing (which is a reducing gear) runs from gear 59 to 60 to 61 to 62 to 63 to 64 to 65. The latter gearis fixed to a disk 66 having a notch 67 therein. Riding on the erimeter of the disk is the'lever 68 of a amili'ar form of mercury switch 69, normally open. Its circuit 70 controls a stronger circuit 71 through a switch therein contained in a relay box 72, all of which is familiar in starting mechanism for electric drivin circuits. Circuit '71 includes the field of piece 4. Its core 74 is pivotally attached at 75 to a lever 76 pivoted .at 77. The other arm of this lever takes into the lower end a solenoid 73 mounted on the frame that when the solenoid is energized, the core a will lift up on the lever 76 and retract the ush pin. The actuation of the clutch 51 as Before described will result.

The length of strip A that is fed before the knives operate and hence the len th of the severed sheet is determined an controlled. by the rate at which the disk 66 of the timing gear revolves and there is one cut to each revolution thereof. The lever 68 in the gear box has a contact point 78 that rides on the disk but when, once in each revolution, this drops into the notch 67, the switch 69 is momentarily closed, the circuit 71 is thereby momentarily closed and the solenoid 73 momentarily energized. This is suflicient, however, to withdraw the push well known. principle, these pinions for such reason being mounted on brackets 79 and 80 held adjustable on clamping bolts '81.

, I claim as my invention:

'1. In a sheet severing mechanism, the combination with a fixedknife and a. movable knife cooperating therewith, of guides for thelatter including a snpporting surface having a plurality of ad ustmfi means at intervals along the length of t e knife to regulate its cooperation with the fixedlcnile.

2. In a sheet severing mechanism, the combination with a tired knife and a movable knife cooperating therewith, of guioles for the latter including a supporting surface having a pliirality of adgnsting means at intervels along the length of the to to regulate its cooperation with the fined,

wife,- said means comprising wedge blocks and meens for operating the same.

3. in a sheet severin mechanism, the combination with at line its a movehle mile cooperating therewith, an guidles tor the latter, of an ejector for the sheet asso- I so elated with the fixeil knife and adapted to recedle before the cutting edge of the morehle knife during the cutting stroke, seial ejector operating to restore the sheet to the plane it occupied before the cnttin stroke, anol e clemp nrrenged to clamp t e-she et before the movable lmiie coocts with the final knife.

4i. in :a sheet severin mechanism, the cornhinntion with moons or leeoli s sheet downworilly in n vertical plane, or e finefi knite end; e movnhle knife cooperating in n horizontalplane .lor the cnttin operation, met-ins for guiding the sheet etween the knives, an ectneting moons for the inovehle incite causing it to roclr from end to end,

'reversely, in the plane of cnttin movement es it epgnroeches the fixed lune, so that opposite entlsol soiol movehle its more out of phose with each other, and means for clamping the sheet in the guide to the hxetl hnite colors the movable hiife cooperates therewith.

5. in e sheet severine mechanism, the combination with means lor ieedin e sheet downwardly in e verticel plane, o a fiiseol knits and e movable knife cooperating in e llOl'lZOlltttl plane for the cutting operetion,

moons tor guiding the sheet between the kn ves, on actuating moons for the movohle memos combination with 1a feed roll over which a sheet'oi batting may be fed in a depen vertical plane, of a pair of horizontally arranged knives between which the bat asses, drivin means for the fee& roll and ives and re ucing gear means through whichthe knives are controlled by the feed roll, said reducing or hein provided with an intermittent single c c e timing mechanism operating to out t e bat in definite uniform lengths embodyin driven shaft, actuators tor the movable e1" clutch hetween said shaft and the actuators, e solenoin controlling the clutch, and means for intermittently energizin the solenoid.

, o'r'r h. inrnn.

lmile causing it to rock from end to end,

- reversely, in the plnne of cutting movement as it approaches the tired knife, and means for clampin the sheet in the guide to the fired knife M the movable knife cooperates therewith, and e reciprocatory ejector adapted to restore the anti of thejclepending sheet from which n length has been cut into al inement with its guide and also adapt co to recede from such position as the movable knife returns on the nextcnt,

6.1m, a sheet sevo mechanism the dmg.

ife operated thereby, a e

mil 

